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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 2018)
1B THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2018 CONTACT US ewilson@dailyastorian.com (503) 325-3211 ext. 257 COMMUNITY FOLLOW US facebook.com/ DailyAstorian IN ONE EAR • ELLEDA WILSON ‘CAN I GET ONE?’ alloween isn’t Halloween without a mummy. Or two. Which brings to mind a bizarre story from The Oregonian, by George Ade, about his travels in Cairo, Egypt, in his April 22, 1906 column. He noted that a young American owned a shop near Ade’s hotel, selling antiquities, including mummies. “Can I get one?” Ade asked. “I can get you a gross if you want them,” the shop- keeper quipped. “What would a man do with a gross of mummies?” Ade wondered. “You can give them away. They are very ornamental,” was the reply. “Until I talked to the dealer, I had no idea that mummies were so plentiful,” Ade noted, appalled. “In some parts of Egypt people go out and dig them up just as they would dig potatoes.” “… A Rameses or Ptolemy cannot be touched for less than $1,000 (about $28,000 now). A prince, a trust magnate or a mili- tary commander brings $150 … (then) the dealer showed me one for $7.50 — probably a tourist.” Mummy sales were apparently big business back then, and many were shipped to America to private collectors for their res- idences. Which possibly explains why so many seriously angry mummy movies were made in the 1940s. Note: Speaking of irate mummies, you can watch or down- load the classic Boris Karloff movie “The Mummy” at bit.ly/ BorisMummy H PHOTOBOMBED BY A GHOST? Titanic ghost is in the news this week, just in time for Hal- loween: Cheryl and Luke Arkless claim they were pho- tobombed by the ship’s captain, Edward John Smith, when a family member took a photo of them at Robinsons Bar in Belfast, Ireland, well-known for its “Titanic vibe,” and Titanic memora- bilia, The Sun reports (bit.ly/EJSbomb). “It was a bit cold at our backs, but we didn’t see or feel any- one behind us,” Cheryl told The Sun. “It was only when we flew back to England, and when I was looking at the photos, that I noticed something blurry.” Her husband speculated maybe it was just someone walking fast. The photo is shown, with the blurry part circled. “But the thing is, everything around us is crystal clear, apart from that blur,” she explained. “I was very skeptical at first, but now I really think it looks like a man. There is a strong Titanic background in the bar, and the more you look at it, the more he resembles the captain.” Cheryl sent the photo to ghost-hunting group Paranormal Investigations UK for analysis. “I was intrigued,” she said. “I simply wanted some answers.” “When I got the report back from Paranormal Investigations UK,” she recalled, “I was freaked out, as they said the picture was 100 percent unexplained. I was left with more questions than answers.” ‘I WILL TRY AND CHANGE’ lexander K. Pesonen, former head keeper at Tilla- mook Rock Lighthouse, became North Head Light- house’s first keeper in 1898, but he is more often remem- bered because of his wife, Mary. Sometime in the early 1920s, Mary became a member of Unity, a church founded by Charles Sherlock Fillmore and his wife as part of the New Thought movement. The church’s members professed a belief in faith healings, and Fillmore himself thought he was probably immortal. He must have been shocked when he died in 1948. Faith healing didn’t work for Mary, apparently, as in 1923, after decades of isolation on that bluff — often sur- rounded by relentlessly howling winds, and saddled with the endless drudgery of maintaining the quarters and grounds — her worried husband took Mary to Portland to see a doctor. She was diagnosed with “melancholia,” which Merri- am-Webster describes as “a mental condition, and espe- cially a manic-depressive condition, characterized by extreme depression, bodily complaints and often halluci- nations and delusions.” The couple returned to the lighthouse June 8, 1923. That night, Mary wrote a letter, which in part said, “I see where I have been wrong in a great many ways, but please God I will try and change and do better … I’m even going to try and do without my medicine, and just pray I’ll get better and better.” Early the next morning, Mary left for a walk with her dog, Jerry. Only the dog returned, and his “queer antics” alerted Keeper Pesonen that something was amiss. Jerry led a search party to a spot at the edge of the cliff near the lighthouse. Mary’s coat was there, but nothing else. The newspaper reported that “a trail through the tall grass, as though someone had slid down the cliff, was mute evidence of what had befalled the unfortunate woman.” Risking his life, Second Assistant Keeper Frank C. Ham- mond recovered her body before the tide could carry it out to sea. Mary and her husband are buried together in Ilwaco. Some say Melancholy Mary still haunts the lighthouse and grounds. Maybe you’ll bump into her if you go for a visit. (bit.ly/MaryPes bit.ly/FillUnity bit.ly/MaryPes2) A HALLOWEEN TRIPLE PLAY A LOCAL BREVITY rom the Saturday, Oct. 31, 1885 edition of The Daily Morn- ing Astorian: “To-night is ‘all Hallow e’en’ and a good many old memo- ries of old-fashioned games and sports cluster around it. In many localities it is customary on this evening to have family gath- erings at which a good many funny pranks are played, furnish- ing occasion for considerable innocent mirth. Tonight is the great night of the year to tell fortunes, and if ever told fortunes come true, it is those that are told on ‘all Hallow e’en.’” F he Ear would be remiss to not mention three Hallow- een treats (and tricks), hiding right under your nose in Astoria. • Up for a haunted ship? The Coast Guard Cutter Alert answers the call, and is open from 6 to 9 tonight, Saturday and Sunday at the 17th Street dock. It’s free, and open to the public, but donations are accepted. Here’s a little enticement, from the event’s Facebook page: “Come explore the ship 50 years after her disappear- ance into the Bermuda Triangle. Are you brave enough to face off against the most terrifying creatures to ever haunt the seven seas?” Beware: Previous events have a reputation for scaring the stuffing out of people. • Thanks to a tip from Stacey McKenney, the Ear can point you to the Halloween House, pictured, at 4908 Cedar St. Life-sized witches with a cauldron, a fortune teller and nonhuman skeletons don’t begin to describe the scene. Take a walk down an enclosed path in front of the house, if you dare. It would spoil it to say more. Enter at your own risk! • For those who find dolls eternally disturbing and macabre, there’s The Doll Asylum (dollasylum.com), 1188 Harrison Ave. They’re having an open house from 6 to 10 tonight and Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, and 5 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Halloween. It’s free, and adults and children accompanied by adults are welcome. The website offers a caveat: “Warning: … You may have trouble sleeping for a few nights, then be OK, then get really creeped out with a scary doll dream, then think it’s over, then wake up screaming. … This may go on for some time. ” But they’re only dolls, right? TEMPTING FATE? iled under “Tempting Fate”: We all know the grim ending of RMS Titanic’s maiden voyage, and how it wound up at the bottom of the ocean, killing a large percentage of its passengers, including John Jacob Astor IV. So, one could plausibly ask, why ask for trouble with a redo? Yet Blue Star Line’s chairman, Clive Palmer (an Austra- lian billionaire), recently announced that work on the Titanic II, which has been halted since 2015, has recommenced, Mari- time-Executive.com reports. She is expected to make her maiden voyage across the Atlantic in 2022 (bit.ly/TT2go). The ship will be an exact replica of the original, but just a bit wider in the beam for more stability. A detailed animation of the anticipated result is shown in a video by the United Australia Party at bit.ly/TT2specs. Screen shots from the video are shown. “Blue Star Line will create an authentic Titanic experience, providing passengers with a ship that has the same interiors and cabin layout as the original vessel,” Palmer proclaimed, “while integrating modern safety procedures, navigation methods and 21st century technology to produce the highest level of luxurious comfort.’’ Yes, that does mean lots and lots of lifeboats. The Titanic II’s maiden voyage will follow the original ship’s 1912 journey from Southampton, England, to New York. It’s hard to decide if this is totally fabulous or utterly creepy. F HEADLESS CHICKEN MONSTER ust in time for Halloween, the Australian Antarctic Division has finally caught the elusive headless chicken monster (enypniastes eximia) on video, according to Geek.com (bit.ly/ chickbeast). Technically, the critter is some sort of swimming sea cucumber, but got the new moniker from observers watching its movements in the video. A screen shot is shown. New underwater camera technology, attached to fishing gear that can go to almost 2 miles down, made filming this denizen of the deep Southern Ocean possible. The cameras are being used to find vulnerable marine ecosystems so the fishing industry can avoid them. “Some of the footage we are getting back from the cameras is breathtaking,” Australian Antarctic Division program leader Dirk Welsford said, “including species we have never seen in this part of the world.” J T HORROR MOVIES GALORE alloween often equals binging on howlingly awful horror/ science fiction B-movies. With that in mind, the Ear pres- ents the annual Halloween and Dia de los Muertos viewing delights, available free online. For a collection of horror movies you’ve never heard of, such as the inimitable “The Earth Dies Screaming,” check out “Clas- sic Horror Films” at tinyurl.com/hallohorror1. Then there’s Archive.org, which has a plethora of pithy titles, like “Bloody Pit of Horror” and, one of the Ear’s all-time favor- ites as an earlet, “The Screaming Skull.” Bonus bonbon: Want to see Astoria’s Vampira’s (Maila Nurmi) very worst movie — and, arguably, the worst horror movie ever made — 1959’s “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” also starring Bela Lugosi of “Dracula” fame? Go to bit.ly/Nurmi9 to punish yourself. She’s pictured in a screen shot. Speaking of Bela Lugosi, how about watching the 1931 clas- sic, “Dracula” at bit.ly/beladrac? He does not drink … wine. H COMMUNITY NOTES SATURDAY Sit & Stitch — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Homespun Quilts & Yarn, 108 10th St. Bring knitting, crochet or other projects to this community stitching time. All skill levels welcome. Columbia Northwestern Mod- el Railroading Club — 1 p.m., in Hammond. Group runs trains on HO-scale layout. For information, call Don Carter at 503-325-0757. Spinning Circle — 1 to 3 p.m., Astoria Fiber Arts Academy, 1296 Duane St. Bring a spinning wheel. For information, call 503-325-5598 or go to astoriafiberarts.com Karaoke — 7 to 8 p.m., Seaside Lodge and International Hostel, 930 N. Holladay Drive, Seaside. Free session, all ages, for those who love to sing karaoke. Refreshments served. For information, call 503- 738-7911. 17th St. Cooked to order from menu, includes coffee. Cost is $5 for seniors 62 and older, $7.50 for those younger than 62. Breakfasts are open to the public. Proceeds af- ter expenses help support local and other charities. SUNDAY Seniors Breakfast — 9 a.m. to noon, Astoria Moose Lodge, 420 National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Support Group — 2 to 3:30 p.m., Seaside Public Library, 1131 Broadway. Family to Family Support Group, for anyone with friend or loved one suffer- ing from a serious brain (mental) illness. For information, contact Myra Kero at 503-738-6165, or k7e- rowood@q.com, or go to nami.org Seaside American Legion, 1315 Broadway. For information, call 503-738-5111. No cost; suggested $5 tip to the instructor. Line Dancing — 5:30 to 8 p.m., See NOTES, Page 6B MONDAY Chair Exercises for Seniors — 9 to 9:45 a.m., Astoria Senior
